LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE

KILMAN SESEON CULTURE GAP SURVEY

Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey by Ralph H. Kilmann and Mary J. Saxton

Assessing Actual versus Desired Cultural Norms

The culture of a work group is the invisible force that guides behavior. It is not what the formal policies, rules, procedures, and job descriptions mandate. Rather, culture is the unwrittenoften unconscious message that fills in the gaps between what is formally decreed and what actually takes place. Culture, therefore, determines how formal statements get interpreted and provides what the written documents leave out. As a result, culture affects the quality of decision making and action taking, which in turn affects work group morale and performance.

 While culture manifests itself in several ways, it is most subject to measurement and change through work group norms. These norms are the unwritten "rules of the game," what really counts in order to get ahead or, alternatively, how to stay out of trouble. TheKilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey provides a systematic tool for pinpointing cultural norms.

 These various profiles will enable you to pinpoint the particular Culture-Gaps that are barriers to organizational success. Specifically, four culture-gaps are identified:

 Task Support includes cultural norms that are technical in nature with a short time frame. For example: "Share information with other groups only when it benefits your own work group" versus "Share information to help other groups." "Concentrate only on your own tasks" versus "Help others complete their tasks." Task Innovation includes cultural norms that are technical in nature with a long time frame. For example: "Keep things the same" versus "Make changes." Discourage creativity" versus "Encourage creativity."

 Social Responsibility includes cultual norms that have a people orientation with a short time frame. For example: "Don't participate in social activities with others in your organization" versus "Participate in social activities with others in your organization." "Don't bother getting to know the people in your work group" versus "Get to know the people in your work group." Personal Freedom includes cultural norms that have a people orientation with a long time frame. For example: "Live for your job or career" versus "Live for yourself and your family." "Believe in the organization's values" versus "Believe in your own values."

 Since the two underlying dimensions of cultural norms(1) technical versus people and (2) short term versus long termcover such a broad spectrum of experience in an organization, the resulting four types of Culture-Gaps are expected to capture the great variety of cultural norms that affect both morale and performance.

LEADERSHIP Organization Culture

An organization that fits one or more of the following descriptions is likely to exhibit the characteristics of a Newtonian organization an organization that has been designed and managed according to an old and out-of-date paradigm about the nature of life and the universe:

 The organization is old, large, and entrenched with bureaucratic procedures (which seem to come with age and sizeand efforts to control people and costs); The organization has experienced large doses of autocratic leadership in the past and, therefore, has thoroughly demoralized its employees (or, at the very least, has taught them not to take responsibility for their decisions and actions); The organization was very successful decades ago and, as a result, habitually clings to its out-of-date formulas for success (instead of realizing that an altogether new paradigm is needed for today's world);

 The organization has encountered a sudden shift from a very stable to a mostly dynamic environment and, therefore, is still living in the past (or, at a minimum, is under considerable pressure to catch up to today's world); The organization has implemented numerous cycles of singular, quick-fix approaches and, thereby, has failed to transform itself (and has, as a consequence, taught its employees that it may not be possible to transform an organization).

LDP LEADERSHIP DEVELOPEMENT

Bringing Greater Consciousness into Organizations The Most Complex and Least Understood Mode: Collaborating Good and Bad Avoiding How to Use a Conflict-Handling Mode The Avoiding Culture in Many Organizations

Bringing Greater Consciousness into Organizations

The basic premise is that roughly 80% of our beliefs, attitudes, and behavior are shaped by our surrounding systems (families, communities, organizations, and nations) and maybe only 20% is the remaining space for "free will" within those cultural systems. Some believe that the latter is even less than 20%, unless one is VERY conscious and has evolved beyond those organizational influences.

The Most Complex and Least Understood Mode: Collaborating

Even though the collaborating mode sounds ideal to most people, it can only be used successfully under the right conditions. In fact, there are more conditions that affect the choice of collaborating than any other conflict mode. To begin with, if people are faced with overwhelming stress, they wont have the mental clarity to engage in a productive dialogue about what each person underlying concerns. As a result, they will find one of the other modes more suited to the high-pressure situation. Only if the stress is stimulating, inviting, and manageable can the collaborating mode possibly result in a win-win outcome.

 Moreover, often overwhelming stress gives the impression that there is too much to do with so little time. With collaborating, however, it takes time for people to explore and then express what they really need and want. Thus, only use collaborating when you have the time (or can take the time) for a collaborative conversation.

Good and Bad Avoiding

There are two kinds of avoiding to keep in mind: good avoiding and bad avoiding. Good avoiding is when you purposely leave a conflict situation in order to collect more information, wait for tempers to calm down, or because youve concluded that what you first thought was a vital issue isnt that important after all. Bad avoiding, however, is when the topic is very important to both persons (and to the organization), but you arent comfortable with confronting other people: Instead, youre inclined to sacrifice your needs for otherswhich undermines your self-esteem, leaves you perpetually dissatisfied, and prevents you from learning from others.

 Bottom line: Only avoid when that approach to conflict serves to satisfy your needs as well as the needs of otherswhether in the short term or long term. But dont avoid conflict simply because that mode is unfamiliar or uncomfortable to you. With awareness and practice (which builds self-confidence), you can easily learn to get both your needs and the other persons needs metfor the best of both worlds.

How to Use a Conflict-Handling Mode

Even if you choose to avoid for the right reasons, does it make a difference what you actually say to people just before you withdraw from the situation?

 Bottom line: Choosing a mode wisely, but also using that mode in the most constructive manner possible, will go far in producing wellbeing and effective resolutions of conflict, rather than bad feelings and a potential worsening of the situation.

The Avoiding Culture in Many Organizations

Once the members of the organization, including senior managers, have become aware of the avoiding culture that prevails in different departments and levels in their organization, a very meaningful discussion can unfold: What are the long-term consequences if we continue avoiding the most important issues facing our organization, because our culture and reward system have conditioned us to keep issues and problems to ourselves? The responses to this question then open up the vital topic that needs to be addressed with a great deal of assertiveness: How can we purposely change our culture and reward system to support the use of conflict modes, so we can bring about long-term satisfaction and success?